Group Intends to RAPPEL! Memoirs of Grand Canyoneering

Looking down our route into the canyon, the descent is further than the horizontal distance to travel. The sun gives way to radiant heat while the shadows provide free air-conditioning at this time of year. Wear proper clothing to contain the warmth you produce. Although I am drinking less water in the usual attempt to cool down, we still need to find a seep or pothole filled with water.

Once we stepped down into the canyon we shouted for joy as the twisting walls became thin and narrow. Around each corner — incredible scenery, sun-lit fiery walls, meandering twists deeper into the belly of a beast. The breath of this dragon chills your body ever so slightly. Eventually you are chilled even with a thin wetsuit — and it is at this point that your blood starts to boil as you shout over a large and beautiful free-hanging rappel into the canyon below.

Taking my time down, I realize how incredible this geology looks — a stone time machine. The drainages influenced by water, gravity, and pressure give us a sneak peek into the past. There simply is not enough daylight to capture the full value of what I am looking at. Group intends to RAPPEL!